Plasma and tissue resveratrol concentrations and pharmacological activity.

In this study a comparison was made between results obtained from resveratrol dosages which have been shown to be pharmacologically active, in vitro and in vivo, and the results of plasma and tissue concentrations obtained after a single administration or after prolonged administration of red wine with a known resveratrol content. The dosages used by different investigators in the tests are very different and, in general, rather high in relation to the concentrations which are found in wine or grapes. The results of our tests on platelet aggregation confirm that even with modest dosages of resveratrol, a pharmacological effect can be observed, and that these dosages can be compatible with the resveratrol concentrations obtained after oral administration. The data obtained from these tests on animals can lead to the conclusion that even an average drinker of wine can, particularly in the long term, absorb a sufficient quantity of resveratrol to explain the beneficial effect of red wine on health, which has been observed in epidemiological studies carried out in populations whose daily diet includes the drinking of wine.